Things Your Employer CANNOT Legally Do

Important: These are things your employer CANNOT do:

• Attend any union meeting, park across the street from the hall or engage in any undercover activity which would indicate that the employees are being kept under surveillance to determine who is and who is not participating in the union program.
• Tell employees that the company will fire or punish them if they engage in a union activity.
• Bar employee wage increases, special concessions or benefits in order to keep the union out.
• Ask employees about union matters, meetings etc.  Employees may, of their own accord, share such information. It is not an unfair labor practice to listen. However, asking questions to determine additional information is illegal.
• Ask employees what they think about the union or a union representative once the employee has stated that s/he refuses to discuss it.
• Threaten employees with reprisal for participating in union activities i.e. threatening to move or close the business, curtail operations or reduce employee benefits.
• Promise benefits to employees if they reject the union.
• Announce that the company will not deal with the union.
• Ask employees whether or not they belong to a union or have signed up for union representation.
• During the hiring process, ask an employee or prospective employee about his/her affiliation with a labor organization or how she/he feels about unions.
• Make anti-union statements or act in a way(s) that might indicate or show preference for a non-union worker.
• Make distinctions between union and non-union employees when assigning overtime or desirable work.
• Purposely team up non-union workers and keep them separate and apart from those supporting a union.
• Transfer workers on the basis of union affiliations or activities.
• Choose employees to be laid off in order to weaken the union’s strength or to discourage union membership.
• Discriminate against people solely because of their union affiliation.
• By nature of work assignments, create conditions intended to cause a union member employee to want to leave the employer organization.
• Fail to grant a scheduled benefit or wage increase because of an employee’s union activity.
• Take action that adversely affects an employee’s job or pay rate because of his/her union activity.
• Ask employees how they intend to vote or promise rewards or future benefits, or threaten, or coerce workers in an attempt to influence their vote.
• Threaten a union member though a third party.
• Tell employees that overtime work and/or premium pay will be discontinued if the employer becomes unionized.
• Tell employees that unionization will force the company to lay off employees.
• Tell employees that they may receive promotions, raises or other benefits if they leave their union affiliation.
• Start a petition or circular against the union or take part in the circulation of said information if it is started by employees.
• Urge employees to try to induce others to oppose the union.
• Visit the homes of employees to urge them to reject union representation.